Our venture into Denali National Park is divided into two segments. Our first 4 days we are spending at Riley Creek Campground near the entrance to the park. None of the campgrounds have hookup so we will be using the generator for the 8 days that we will be here.
The Tall One, Denali, Mt. McKinley- all these names refer to the same mountain- the tallest peak in North America. Originally named Denali by native Alaskans, it was re-named McKinley in the late 1800s, when it was (re) discovered.
Whatever name you use, this is what people come to Denali for- to see the Tall One. We haven’t had that opportunity yet. Standing at over 20,000 feet, Denali is, more often than not, in the clouds.
So, what does one do while one is waiting for Mt. McKinley to make an appearance? Well, Paul and I hike. Even if it’s raining, apparently. Wildlife viewing is also quite popular, if you can find some wildlife to view. We were lucky, within 10 minutes on our first hike, we came upon a cow moose eating lunch along the road.
She didn’t seem concerned by the audience, and just went about her business.
Our first hike was up to Mt. Healy overlook. As you can see, it was pretty much straight up. 7 miles roundtrip and 1600 feet of elevation gain. It took us a while to get to the top, and it started raining steadily when were about 2/3rds of the way there. We made a mistake and didn’t put on our waterproof pants- the drizzle had sort of snuck up on us and we were wet before we realized.
By the time we reached the top, we were soaked, and it was still raining. Luckily it wasn’t windy! We ate our sandwiches standing up in the rain, trying to hunch over to keep them dry. Fun times!
We stayed at the top for a while and we could see the rain starting to clear away in some areas.
It made for an interesting picture, with the sun shining in one area and rain coming down in another. I didn’t get too many pictures and I didn’t bring the new camera.
Our second hike meant a bus ride. There is a free shuttle that travels the first 15 miles of the main road in Denali. We took it as far as we could so we could hike along Savage River. This time it was raining pretty heavily when we got off the bus, so we started out with all our rain gear on.
After our hike the previous day, we picked this one because its only 2 miles long. Partly we just wanted to take the bus ride so we could look for wildlife. We didn’t see any while on the bus, but we did on the hike.
On our way back to the trailhead we glanced up and saw these two guys. At first glance we thought they were moose but once we got a look at their antlers, we immediately realized that they are Caribou. 
The antlers on this animal are amazing! I don’t know how they keep their heads up!
Anyway, about 15 minutes before the hike was over, the rain stopped for a bit.
One of the things we’ve realized is that the people in Denali, and in fact, the people in Alaska, don’t let the rain stop them from doing what they want. Raincoats are the normal daily wear, and Its very common to see people wearing waterproof pants- most of them are much nicer than what we have- we just bought a cheap set because we won’t use them all that much.
If we had not ignored the rain, we wouldn't have seen much of Denali so far.
So, these are the hikes that….didn't happen:
Sunday morning we were signed up to head out on a Ranger led Discovery Hike. Much of Denali is maintained as a wilderness and much of the hiking is “off trail”. The ranger takes a group on an all day off trail hike teaching them about the park. Sounded like fun. We needed to leave the camper at 7:45 AM. Unfortunately, it was once again raining and had rained all night- and the temperature outside was 42 degrees. We had already been told we might be crossing a stream deep enough that we could get wet up to our knees. After all that rain, we were picturing having to swim across. So, freezing and soaked again? Um, no thanks.
After bailing on that hike, we got on the shuttle to once again head to Savage River, this time to hike a 4.5 mile up to a peak. But, when we got on the bus, we were chatting with the driver and she asked us what our plans were. So, we told her. She smiled and said “did you know that the wind is whipping and the last time I drove by, it was snowing up there?” Um, no. 
So, we took the bus all the way out to Savage River and back, about an hour and a half, searching for wildlife along the way. We did see this bull moose but no bears.
Once we arrived back at the Visitor Center, we hiked a short, 2 mile trail to Horseshoe Lake, where we saw yet another moose. This was a cow, eating in the lake. Once in a while she would head to shore, then turn around and come back out.
Tomorrow we move to a different campground, further in the park, and I have been assured that we will have no WI-FI or cell signal while we are there.
